Gandhinagar boy is UK’s youngest doctor

LONDON: An Indian-origin man is set to become the UK’s youngest physician; he will start work at a hospital in northeast England in August. Arpan Doshi earned his Bachelor of Medicine and Ba chelor of Surgery degree from the University of Sheffield on Mon day -aged 21 years and 335 days -and is due to start work as a junior doctor in York.
Doshi will beat the previous record for the youngest doctor to start work in the country by 17 days. “I didn’t realise I was the youngest person to qualify until a friend checked on the internet,” a UK paper quoted India-born Doshi as saying. “I haven’t even told my parents yet but I know they will be very proud.” Doshi originally went to a local school in Gandhinagar until he was 13.

HIGHLIGHTS

Doshi will beat the previous record for the youngest doctor to start work in the country by 17 days.

The University of Sheffield was so impressed with his credentials that they gave him a scholarship worth 13,000 pounds.

Then his father, Bharat -a mechanical engineer -got a job in Aix en Provence as part of an international fusion project and the whole family moved to France. Doshi, who speaks English, Hindi, and Gujarati, continued his education at an English-medium school.

“The following year I realized that I already knew a lot of what was being taught so I skipped a year,” he said. He started applying to universities just weeks after his 17th birthday. He received a rejection from one university; three others offered him places.

The University of Sheffield was so impressed with his credentials that they gave him a scholarship worth 13,000 pounds. He received financial support from his parents and also took part-time jobs as a lunch supervisor at a local school and in the careers service to fund his degree.

“My dream is to become a heart surgeon but it is a very competitive field,” said Doshi. The previous youngest doctor to qualify was Rachael Faye Hill, who received her medical degree from Manchester University when she was 21 years and 352 days old, in 2010.